xv, 240 pages : 24 cm

Who inspired Carmen's fiery heroine? Was there a plot behind the hostile reception to the premiere of Madame Butterfly? What compromises did Richard Strauss make with the Nazi government ot get his Die Schweigsame Frau produced? Opera Offstage brings to light the intriguing tales behind twenty-seven of the greatest operas of all time. Milton Brener ignites new appreciation for these classics and their composers by revealing the histories and human circumstances surrounding their creation. You'll find the real-life stories behind many operas to be just as passionate, whimsical, and tragic as the operas themselves. A truly delightful book, Opera Offstage offers an entertaining way for new fans to get acquainted with opera, as well as a fresh look at some old favorites for lifelong aficionados

Includes bibliographical references (pages 225-232) and index

The man who was Figaro : The marriage of Figaro -- Tirso De Molina and the Duke of Osuna : Don Giovanni -- The freemason opera : The magic flute -- The reluctant opera composer : Fidelio -- The useless precaution : The barber of Seville -- An opera in two weeks : The elixir of love -- Wagner, robber, and the thetis : The flying Dutchman -- The opera director and the Dresden uprising : Lohengrin -- Triboulet and Frances I : Rigoletto -- Alexandre Dumas and the lady of the camellias : La traviata -- Wagner and Frau Wesendonck : Tristan and Isolde -- Three men and an opera : Faust -- The Paris opéra and the Jockeys : Tannhäuser -- An excess of corpses : La forza del destino -- Verdi at the opéra : Don Carlos -- A case for incest : The valkyrie -- The forgotten man : Aida -- Bizet and La Mogador : Carmen -- A most unusual triangle : Eugene Onegin -- Twin meteors : Pagliacci and Cavalleria rusticana -- Ferocious pantomime : Tosca -- Frau Wagner and the religious war of 1903 : Parsifal -- A mysterious failure : Madame Butterfly -- Oscar Wilde and the evil of innocence : Salome -- The tragedy offstage : The girl of the golden west -- Richard Strauss, Stefan Zweig, and the Nazis : Die schweigsame frau

Who inspired Carmen's fiery heroine? Was there a plot behind the hostile reception to the premiere of Madame Butterfly? What compromises did Richard Strauss make with the Nazi government ot get his Die Schweigsame Frau produced? Opera Offstage brings to light the intriguing tales behind twenty-seven of the greatest operas of all time. Milton Brener ignites new appreciation for these classics and their composers by revealing the histories and human circumstances surrounding their creation. You'll find the real-life stories behind many operas to be just as passionate, whimsical, and tragic as the operas themselves. A truly delightful book, Opera Offstage offers an entertaining way for new fans to get acquainted with opera, as well as a fresh look at some old favorites for lifelong aficionados

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